THE ROLE OF GLAM INSTITUTIONS IN PROMOTING CULTURAL HERITAGE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) are responsible for safeguarding national heritage by collecting, preserving, and disseminating knowledge resources. Cultural heritage, no doubt embodies the identity, history, and memory of a people. In Nigeria, the preservation of cultural heritage is vital for fostering national unity, education, and research. However, the Nigerian GLAM sector, like others in Africa, faces numerous challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited technical capacity, and funding constraints, Moreover, technological advancement has broadened the concept of cultural heritage beyond physical artifacts to include digital-born materials, such as websites, digital art, and social media content, which form an essential part of contemporary cultural identity. Thus, the role of GLAM institutions have evolved to encompass the management of both analogue and digital heritage, requiring new competencies in digital curation, metadata management, data preservation, and ethical stewardship. This paper therefore sets out to examine the roles of GLAM institutions in Nigeria as a way of promoting cultural heritage. Efforts were made to identify its dimensions and challenges, conclusions were made that community-based and participatory conservation is gaining recognition as institutions are increasingly collaborating with local custodians, artists, and cultural groups to ensure ethical, inclusive preservation practices. Therefore, it was recommended that governments should endeavor to update and harmonize heritage preservation laws to include enforcement mechanisms, funding provisions, and inter-agency coordination among others.